Horizon Europe Structure Explained: Pillars, Clusters, and Missions

Navigating the Horizon Europe Structure

Horizon Europe is the EU's research and innovation framework programme with a budget of EUR 93.5 billion for 2021–2027, following the Multiannual Financial Framework Midterm Review (European Commission). It is the successor to Horizon 2020 and one of the largest publicly funded research programmes in the world.

The programme is structured around three pillars, each serving a different function in the European research and innovation landscape.

Pillar I: Excellent Science

Pillar I supports fundamental, curiosity-driven research and researcher mobility. It is not organised by thematic area — instead, it funds research excellence regardless of topic.

European Research Council (ERC)

The ERC funds individual researchers and small teams pursuing frontier research. Grants are awarded based purely on scientific excellence — there are no thematic priorities or consortium requirements.

• Starting Grants — for researchers 2–7 years after PhD
• Consolidator Grants — for researchers 7–12 years after PhD
• Advanced Grants — for established research leaders
• Synergy Grants — for 2–4 principal investigators working together
• Proof of Concept — for ERC grantees exploring commercial/societal potential

Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

MSCA funds researcher training and mobility across borders and sectors. It is the EU's reference programme for doctoral education and postdoctoral training (European Commission).

• Doctoral Networks — collaborative doctoral programmes
• Postdoctoral Fellowships — individual grants for experienced researchers
• Staff Exchanges — knowledge sharing between organisations
• COFUND — co-funding of regional, national, or international programmes

Research Infrastructures

Funds access to world-class research facilities and the development of new infrastructure capabilities.

Pillar II: Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness

This is where most collaborative research projects live. Pillar II is organised into six thematic clusters, each addressing major societal challenges.

Cluster 1: Health

Covers disease prevention, diagnostics, treatment, and health systems. Topics include personalised medicine, infectious diseases, digital health tools, and mental health.

Cluster 2: Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society

Addresses democracy, governance, social inclusion, cultural heritage, and creative industries. Topics include AI and society, digital transformation of cultural heritage, and social innovation.

Cluster 3: Civil Security for Society

Focuses on cybersecurity, disaster resilience, organised crime, and border management. Topics include critical infrastructure protection, counter-terrorism, and forensic science.

Cluster 4: Digital, Industry and Space

Covers key enabling technologies, advanced manufacturing, AI, robotics, and space. Topics include quantum computing, advanced materials, clean steel, and satellite navigation.

Cluster 5: Climate, Energy and Mobility

Addresses the Green Deal objectives — climate science, clean energy, energy efficiency, batteries, hydrogen, sustainable transport, and smart grids.

Cluster 6: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Covers biodiversity, food systems, forestry, circular economy, and environmental monitoring. Topics include sustainable agriculture, marine ecosystems, and bio-based industries.

How Clusters Map to Calls

Each cluster contains multiple destinations (strategic themes), and each destination contains specific call topics that open on defined dates. The call topics define the scope, type of action (RIA, IA, CSA), and expected budget.

For example, Cluster 5 might have a destination on "Clean and sustainable hydrogen" with a specific call topic on "Advanced electrolyser technologies" — that call topic is what you actually apply to.

Pillar III: Innovative Europe

Pillar III focuses on breakthrough and market-creating innovation.

European Innovation Council (EIC)

The EIC supports high-risk, high-impact innovations through three instruments:

• EIC Pathfinder — visionary research at TRL 1–4, up to EUR 4 million per project, consortium of at least 3 entities from 3 countries (EIC Pathfinder)
• EIC Transition — maturing lab results toward TRL 5–6, up to EUR 2.5 million (EIC Transition)
• EIC Accelerator — scaling innovations at TRL 6–8, grant below EUR 2.5 million + equity of EUR 1–10 million, for single SMEs and startups (EIC Accelerator)

European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE)

Supports the development of interconnected innovation ecosystems across Europe.

European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)

Operates through Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) that bring together education, research, and business around specific themes.

The Five EU Missions

Alongside the pillar structure, Horizon Europe introduced five Missions — ambitious, time-bound research and innovation programmes targeting specific societal challenges:

1. Adaptation to Climate Change — supporting regions and communities
2. Cancer — improving lives through prevention, diagnosis, and treatment
3. Restore our Ocean and Waters — by 2030
4. Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities — 100 cities by 2030
5. A Soil Deal for Europe — healthy soils for food, people, nature

Source: European Commission

Missions have their own dedicated calls, often with lighter-touch application processes and a strong emphasis on citizen engagement.

Widening Participation

A cross-cutting component called Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area supports countries with lower R&I performance through:

• Teaming — creating centres of excellence
• Twinning — strengthening institutions through knowledge sharing
• ERA Chairs — attracting top researchers to widening countries
• COST Actions — networking for early-career researchers
• Hop On — allowing widening-country institutions to join existing funded projects

How to Find Your Place in the Structure

Step 1: Identify Your Research Area

Which cluster (1–6) or EIC instrument aligns with your work? If your research spans multiple clusters, look for cross-cutting calls or check if one cluster is more receptive to your specific angle.

Step 2: Check the Work Programme

Each cluster publishes a Work Programme with all call topics for the current period. Work programmes are available on the European Commission website. The 2026–27 work programmes are currently available.

Step 3: Read the Call Topic

The call topic text defines everything: scope, type of action, expected budget, consortium requirements, and expected impacts. This is the document your proposal is evaluated against.

Step 4: Explore Previously Funded Projects

Studying funded projects in your cluster helps you understand the scale, scope, and consortium composition that evaluators have approved. Browse by cluster and topic in our Project Explorer.

What Comes Next

The European Commission has proposed a budget of EUR 175 billion for the successor programme covering 2028–2034 (European Commission). While the structure may evolve, the fundamentals — pillar-based organisation, competitive calls, and expert evaluation — are expected to continue.

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